Ace Raptor Part 2 by James Wang & HeliProz

Ace Raptor Review - Part 2 of 2

(See also HeliProz mini-review and Upgrades)

Hints on the Raptor Helicopter Part 2 Written and copyrighted
by James Wang for HeliProz

All plastic fan can potentialy have inbalance due to the plastic contracting when released from the mold. If you are the meticulous type and like everything dead on, feel free to balance them on a Highpoint balancer and drill dents on the heavy side to fine tune the balance. It never hurts to improve the balance. We did that in the beginning, and we stopped on the third and fourth Raptor because the improvement on a 30-size is so little. However, if your are breaking the aluminum boom support on your Raptor frequently, then it implies you have some imbalance in the engine/fan assembly and it is producing a high frequency vibration.

The muffler that comes with the Raptor 30 ARF is a cast aluminum design, similar in material and construction to R/C airplane engine mufflers. It even makes the engine sounds like an airplane engine. It is slightly louder than the Hatori or KSJ mufflers, but when a Raptor with a stock muffler is flying along a 60-size heli, the Raptor sound is dwarfed by the 60-size. The muffler is a large volume, expansion chamber design. I am still amazed at how inexpensive the stock muffler is ($7). The exhaust outlet on the stock muffler is directed away from the model, so the Raptor is usually very clean after a flight. If one of the more expensive welded tuned heli muffler/pipes is used, then the 36 ABC engine can put out even more power. Be careful, many so-called 30-size mini tune pipes sold on the market are bogus and do not provide power gain.

(HeliProz Notes - The stock muffler is worth at least the $6.99 it sells for. The new Ace Upgrade Muffler is very well made, smooth, quiet and will last forever and is highly recommended, an excellent value at $48. For added power we recommend the Helimax pipe {which reuires a bit of canopy trimming and sounds a bit ratty} or the Weston Tuned Pipe, a one-piece unit that adds power and runs well. Neither the weston nor Hatori tuned pipes require any trimming of the canopy).

The pick up line in the fuel tank is already connected in the ARF kit. It's cut to a perfect length to pick up the fuel to the last drop, either rightsideup or upside down. But the stock soft internal fuel line should be replaced every one or two month because it can get soggy and break off. The thin silicone line inside the fuel tank is very flexible and is great for 3-D flying. But replace it before it breaks off. When a thick line is used, make sure it reaches the bottom in the inverted position. Also check to make sure the two metal sheet screws for the tail boom support do not puncture the tank. A fuel filter should be purchased and added between the fuel tank and the engine. The fuel tank vent should be connected to the muffler pressure tap using a silicone fuel line.

The belt drive on the Raptor works very well. Keep the tension tight on the belt. To prevent the belt from loosening by itself, we added a tiny drop of CA at the seam in between the tail boom and the side frames. The entire tail boom assembly can still be removed or reinstalled in two minutes. This makes the Raptor extremely easy to transport. One of our test pilots has complained the cheap 30-size helicopter that he has been flying only has one ball bearing in each tail blade grip and those bearings are of very poor quality. The Raptor utilizes two radial bearings in each tail rotor blade grip and they are high quality bearings. On our ARF Raptor, even the tail pitch control bellcrank is supported by ball bearings.

I am also using the new Taya designed Thunder Tiger TG-8000 piezo gyro on the Raptor and for a while you can could get a good package deal when getting the Raptor and along with a TG-8000 gyro. The TG-8000 is a non-heading hold piezo gyro designed for competitions. Mr. Taya says with conventional piezo gyros, the tail will start to hunt as gyro gain is increased. The TG-8000 is designed to allow very high loop gain but without causing "hunting." The manufacturer says the bandwidth of the TG-8000 gyro is higher than all other top-of-the-line FAI gyros. The TG-8000 performance is on par with the G-501 and NEJ-3000. It costs more than those cheap piezo gyros, but it is superior than the cheap piezo gyros. The cheap gyros work fine for beginners who are learning hover, but some of them drift a lot and are not good for 3-D. With the TG-8000, you are getting a creme-of-the-crop gyro that can handle FAI and 3-D - though without heading hold, so a revo-mix must be set up.

(HeliProz Note - James will be reviewing the even less expensive Telebee Gyro later in July. The Telebee sells for well under $100 from HeliProz and is a Heading Hold gyro).

I recommend beginners get one of the Thunder Tiger TTR-2000 onboard tachometers. One of the most frequent difficulties that beginners encounter is how to set the engine and the rotorspeed. The rotorspeed is determined by three main factors: the engine air/fuel mixture setting, the blade pitch angle and the throttle barrel opening. The throttle barrel can be set initially to barely open at the idle stick position and half open at mid stick, and fully open at full collective stick command. The blade pitch angle can be set using a blade pitch gauge. I highly recommend a beginner spend the extra $25 and purchase a pitch gauge. HeliProz can recommend a good one.

The engine is a bit tricky for the inexperienced beginner to set because he would have no previous knowledge to base on what is a proper setting. If the engine is mistakenly set too lean, a model engine can overheat and destroy its performance forever. If it is set too rich, then the model may not develop enough power to lift off the ground. A beginner has to joggle all three variables to get a perfect combination to lift off the model. I recommend the TTR-2000 tachometer because it allows beginners who do not have the help of experienced fliers to have a chance to tune the three variables so he can achieve a desired rotor rpm for proper flying. Advanced fliers usually have already developed a feel for setting the rotorspeed by hearing the engine and the rotor noise.

The best hover rpm for most helicopters on the market is between 1450 and 1600. This is just a guideline for most models. The Raptor hovers best at around 1550. Experienced pilots can tell the proper rotor rpm just by listening to the engine and rotor noise. Beginners have not developed this skill, therefore the TTR-2000 will compensate for this. The TTR-2000 unit is mounted on the tail boom at right behind the body with a single tiewrap, so it's easy to put on or off. It has a big 1" tall LCD read out so you can see from 10 ft away. Plus it has a build-in voltage checker so you can check the receiver battery under load. I recommend it to the beginners because it will also help set the engine carburetor and the throttle and pitch curves to get a smooth and proper hovering helicopter. The TTR-2000 is about $100, but I think it is a good investment that will be useful for a long time even after you become a good pilot. The unit will work with any brand of helicopter. I use one also when I fly alone so I can tell the rotor rpm without a helper. I am trying a new remote temperature sensor that will help tune the engine to a consistent temperature. Will tell you more later.

To get started, the beginners will need the following:

The helicopter kit
An engine
A muffler
A heli radio
A piezo gyro
A blade pitch gauge
A 6 mm hex starter extension if you are getting a Raptor
A set of training gear

(HeliProz Notes - We Stock the Ace on-board Tach. It works well. If you have a helper we feel that Miniatures hand-held optical tach is much better, as you can check blade speed atMiniature Aircraft Optical Tach settings other than hover. BUT, the Miniature unit is not very useful by yourself. The Ace tach has one disadvantage - you have to be standing within reading distance of your heli while it is flying. BE VERY CAREFUL! For fine tuning needle setting the RayTek non-contact thermometer is the best tool on the market, and James is trying one out now. )